Your Rental Car May Still Have Your Home Address and Texts. Here’s How to Wipe It

The short answer: don’t leave valuables or ID documents in the car, don’t leave your personal data in its infotainment system, and don’t leave medicines, phones or other electronics in the heat. Never leave a child or a pet in a parked vehicle. This guide uses police, FTC, NHTSA, CDC and health-agency advice, and labels anything that is our own practical tip.

1Valuables in plain sight

Verdict: take them with you, or stow them before you park. The Morrisville, North Carolina Police Department’s Lock It or Lose It campaign says to remove valuable items such as sunglasses, electronics, wallets and shopping bags, and to lock your vehicle before you walk away. If you must keep valuables in the car, it says to lock them in the trunk before you arrive at your destination, because criminals watch for items being moved into the trunk after you park. Our practical advice is to do the same at every stop, and to treat a locked trunk as a short-term fix, not overnight storage.

2Your phone’s data in the infotainment system

Verdict: easy to overlook. The FTC’s renting a car guide says a rental car might keep your personal information long after you return it. It says that can include locations you put into the GPS, call and message logs, and even contacts and text messages, and that future renters or rental car employees may be able to see it if you don’t delete it. What is kept varies by vehicle and system. The FTC advises you to delete your data before you return the car by finding the list of paired devices in the settings menu and removing yours. It also says to grant access only to the information you think is necessary and to avoid connecting your phone to the infotainment system just for charging, because the USB connection may transfer data automatically. It suggests a lighter-socket adapter instead. A power bank, like the ones in our travel tech essentials, is our own alternative. If you get stuck, the owner’s manual or the rental company can help.

3Sensitive destinations in the GPS

Verdict: don’t navigate all the way to your front door. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s rental car risks article advises against having the GPS lead you to your house. It suggests navigating only to your city or town and finding the rest of the way yourself, and says to clear your navigation history before you return the car. It also notes that a device name can show up for the next renter and reports that privacy groups found renters’ information still in the cars they rented.

4Your passport and ID documents

Verdict: keep them on you or somewhere secure, not in the glovebox. The Morrisville police campaign says to take important identifying documents with you. A passport or a driver’s license is slow and expensive to replace on a trip. Our practical advice is to keep the original secure and accessible for whatever the trip requires, such as border checks or check-in. If you don’t need it that day, a hotel safe is a reasonable place. Our international travel checklist recommends keeping digital and physical copies in separate locations, but copies don’t replace the original.

5Medicines

Verdict: carry them with you. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advises against leaving medicines in cars, suitcases or other places that can get very hot. It says many medicines are intended to be stored below 25°C (77°F) and that higher temperatures can reduce their effectiveness. It also says some medicines need refrigeration and others should be kept at room temperature, and it names insulin, certain inhalers, some skin creams and some contraceptives as needing particular care. It says to check the packaging or leaflet for storage instructions and ask a pharmacist if you suspect heat exposure. The MHRA is a UK agency, so check your own medicine’s label. Keeping them in a bag that comes with you is our practical advice.

6Phones and other electronics in the heat

Verdict: heat is the hidden damage. Apple says iPhones and iPads are designed to be used at 32°F to 95°F and stored at -4°F to 113°F, and it warns against leaving a device in a car because parked-car temperatures can exceed those ranges. It says an overheated device may dim or black out its display, and charging may slow or stop. Apple is speaking for its own devices, and other devices have their own limits. Our practical advice is to keep a laptop or camera out of a hot car too, and to check the maker’s guidance for yours.

7A child or a pet

Verdict: never, not even for a minute. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says dozens of babies and young children die in hot vehicles every year, and that you should never leave a child in a vehicle when running errands, not even for a minute. It says to keep parked vehicles locked at all times so a child can’t climb in and become trapped, and that rolling down a window does little to keep a car cool. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, NHTSA says to call 911 and get help immediately. See NHTSA’s guidance for more. For pets, the CDC says leaving a window open is not enough, and that a car can heat to dangerous temperatures quickly even in cool weather.

• Check every compartment. Look under the seats, in seat-back and door pockets, the glovebox and the trunk. This one is our practical tip.
• Collect small items. Look for charging cables, adapters, sunglasses, parking tickets and any toll transponder you brought. Also our practical tip.
• Delete your data. Remove your paired phone and clear the navigation history, as the FTC advises.
• Check fuel and fees. Check your rental agreement for the fuel policy. The FTC says most companies require a full tank at return and that prepaying for fuel can cost more than filling it yourself, so compare the two. Our guide to hidden travel costs covers more.